#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC

[divergxxxnce]

“You look real good in that dress.” for Alex (probably Adalina went on a shopping spree and bought a bunch of clothes for her so she made her try them out eve)

『🔧』 “Aheheh... y- you think so? But- isn’t it a little...” Revealing. The word escapes her in the moment she spins around in it, but the way she looks down at herself, the way the turquoise fabric clings to her features, bellows the idea in her stead. Slits on either end of the skirt end of the dress left her supple thighs exposed to the elements - riding all the way up, even, to expose part of her underwear at the right angle.

Her top half wasn’t spare either - looking past the exposure of scarred tissue where her prosthetic connects to her body, the side of her breast just barely peeked out from the semi-translucent fabric. The middle of her chest was equally as exposed, as the two rows of fabric ran down her body, clinging loosely to her form.

All she could manage is a wobbly grin as she looked at herself - making no effort to hide any of it in front of Adalina. She had to know what she was doing when she bought this for her, right? If nothing else, well... it did make her feel good in her own body.

“I- I like this, though,” she hums, rocking her body to and fro. “It- it makes me feel, almost... ethereal. Uhm-... d- do you like it, Adalina? I- I mean, you’ve... you’ve gotta be enjoying the view there, huh?”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Adalina Olsen #strawbelina #suggestive;; #{ tricked into going (almost) tiddies out.... } #{ that's the way i twist things on this blog hehehe }

[dis--parity]

『🍬』 “Yeah, I’ve got a Supreme hoodie. Like, three of ‘em. You don’t vibe with the shit I buy and wear, that’s your problem, peach.”

『🔧』 “... I didn’t think it was possible to hate you more, but here we are, I guess. Jesus Christ, y- you’re really just hopeless, Theo.”

“Hey, c’mon. Respect the drip, Alex.”

“What fucking drip?! It’s dry, and so is everyone else who sees you wearing that consumerist bullshit!”

#[𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.] IC #[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #{ i can't believe that i earnestly just wrote that alex doesn't like drip } #{ even if i meant the consumerist drip like those brands but hey }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “I have enough names for a dynasty, and- and y’know what? Good for me.”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #dash commentary;; #{ she loves having some significance to all five of her names } #{ most particularly the last 2 } #{ ... okay maybe last 3 } #{ alyssa is just one of the names she was considering changing to } #{ but she still loves it a lot } #{ just like how aria is one of my middle names } #{ for the very same reason }

[dis--parity]

“ah, sorry to bother you during your lunch but … do you know who i call to clean up a kid’s oopsie?” leah will spare alex the details on just what kind of oopsie they’re dealing with. [ i give u bookstore bullshit ]

『🔧』 “Oh, god, don’t even-...” She sucks in a deep breath as she puts down the egg sandwich she had packed herself for a moment - whatever the nature of this oopsie might have been, she wasn’t about to go out there and deal with it herself on a full stomach. Her mind races through the mental encyclopedia, the imaginary rota of who might be in, who might be able to shoulder the burden of the oopsie.

... already, ‘oopsie’ was starting to sound like a fake word, the more thought she put into the predicament.

“Uhm-... well- first of all, there’s cleaning supplies just there,” her prosthetic arm points to a cupboard - carpet cleaner and air freshener for any kind of accident. “Uhh-... I think Faye has the worst sense of smell out of all of us, so- maybe go ask her, and, uhm-... pretend it doesn’t exist while she’s cleaning it up.” Just as soon as the resolution is offered, her free hand picks up the sandwich again - one final remark clearing through the air between bites.

“For the record, this is, like-... fifty percent of the reason why I don’t want kids.”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Leah Nguyen #asocier #{ leah my beloved.... } #{ i love how they're both just so done wqfqfwbqfwbqwfuyb }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “So- I took pi, removed the three and the point from it, took all the digits after that, converted them into binary, and- and then reduced the width of the string so they wrap every four digits. And- and then I coloured them in - zeroes in the background, ones in the foreground, start scrolling down...”

“And then, sure enough, after a hundred and fourty-three thousand, three-hundred and fifty-two binary digits of pi...”

“There’s that amongus!”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Crack;; #{ she would totally do stupid shit like this in her free time i'm sorry }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “I literally do not like anything about you.”

『🍬』 “Tell me more~.”

“What- it’s-- this isn’t flirting!”

“... this is better than flirting, honestly.”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #[𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.] IC #{ that's it that's their bond in a nutshell fqwiufqwiunfiquwn} #{ theo vc; oooo you wanna fuck me so bad } #{ alex vc: there is literally nothing i could ever desire about you also i hate you }

[dis--parity]

"Don't look at me like that, you fucker."

Her face was pressed up against the glass, staring down the empty blank expression of a plush narwhal that mocked her from the claw machine. There is was...mocking her. It had already claimed twenty dollars from her, she was not going to let this machine win. The small, squishy marine themed plushies will not make a mockery of her. Not again.

Turning around, she sniffled and pouted "Alex, do you have another quarter?"

『🔧』 It was a hopeless, sorry sight that Alex had been witness to today; around the bright excitement of the arcade, with an ever-tempting plethora of other distractions and entertainments, Tim had decided to get herself lost in the coin pushers and slot machines, gachapons filled with novelty keychains and tiny figurines alike. It was all a money sink - and for as much as Alex would never have been one to judge one’s spending habits, there was a point where so many adages came into play at once.

‘The sunk-cost fallacy. ‘Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em. ‘Quit while you’re ahead.’ ‘Cut your losses.’

Of all the things she could have said to dissuade her friend’s horrible spending habits, though - to get away from this clearly rigged machine and move on to something else... something in that expression of hers, that conveyance of pure desperation, an irrestistable plea for help, only one phrase occurred to her.

“Let me try.”

The quarter is held between her fingers for a moment - fingers curled as though approaching a cat liable to scratch. Once she was sure that Timantha wouldn’t try to nab the coin from her grip, into the slot it goes. Her eyes dart around for the right angle as she takes the controls - moving the crane by yaw and roll until it had the perfect leverage to lift that smug-looking narwhal from the pit of plushies. The claw descends, her hands quiver on the joystick as it lowers...

But, voilá! It stops at just the right angle to grab the plushie’s tail, the claws stopped in its ascent by the fins at the end, where they flare out. It’s when it’s moving that pumps up the anxiety further - it’s a rickety grip, slipping, slipping.... one fin manages to slip out from the grip of the claw, and the other follows suit - right as the claw reaches the right angle to deposit their spoils! It doesn’t even get the dignity of releasing the plushie itself before it hits the prize box.

She releases a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding - shaming herself, almost, for getting sucked into something she knows is unfair - but she’s smiling anyway as she takes the prize, and hands it out to Timantha. “There we go. They let us win... and- and now you can squish this as many times as you want for revenge, okay? Now- can we please move on to something else?”

She would have to ramble about why these machines really weren’t worth sinking twenty bucks into later... she didn’t want to spoil her friend’s fun in that instant with the reminder that it was ultimately a hollow victory.

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Timantha #technobratx

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “The last thing I need is all this bullshit on my mind while I... while I try to get this disseration done. Fuck...”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #{ hi im fucking dying of stress } #{ and ironically this lines up with the plot of that story i wanted to write } #{ before stress just absolutely COLLAPSED on me } #{ i dunno if i can make this } #{ i really don;t know u'm trying my best and just ughhhhgh } #{ i'm sirry this is just. beh } #{ i'm just scared of failure understandably } #{ and i want this shit to be over } #{ and i vent these feels thru her }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “The hardest boss in Elden Ring isn’t Malenia herself... it- it’s the gay urges I’m fighting while I’m fighting Malenia...!”

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #open;; mutuals only #{ i just beat malenia yesterday and HOH } #{ i'm gay i'm very very gay she gives me massive gender envy } #{ and she also has a prosthetic arm so you know alex is all over that }

[dis--parity]

humility.

Summary: Alex begins to see the bigger picture.

Word count: idk I wrote this in like an hour lol

Author’s notes: Happy birthday to Alex! I wanted to make a very quick piece with these two developing in the background to commemorate the occasion!

“Hey- hey, c’mon, no-... I thought you were trained better than this! You can’t have my drink, d- don’t be all... j- just, don’t be like this, buddy--”

That pitbull sure are rowdy today; maybe they just knew I’d be here, spending time with their owner. One of them, at least - he didn’t text me to say that he wouldn’t be in until later that day. Sure, it’s about twenty minutes away, he’ll probably arrive in five, and I’ve got Bernard here to accompany me until then, but... even that comes with the knowledge that Theo is probably skulking around in the back. I guess this will do, though. A dog’s a dog, I can’t control who his owner is, or what he’s like.

I’m more than happy to sit here with my hot chocolate, gently letting him down so that he doesn’t end up poisoning himself. It’s crossed my mind once or twice, in brief moments of anger - but I think that’s just the Gale in me being a little extreme. Like I said, a dog’s a dog. And, hey, he’s a cute little pitbull, too. At least he likes me.

In the same instant my free hand reaches out towards him - the prosthetic one, I should note, which is probably a bad call on my part, but I just can’t get enough of the warmth of the mug on my hand - he seems to plod away, distracted. What could be more interesting right now? There’s only one other person here, do they have a chew toy or somethi-

... oh. Right.

I realise the moment he steps out and enters my field of view from behind the counter; that ostentatious red letterman of his with those black jeans gently dusted with flour. His white shirt hides those stains better, for sure. Of course he’s the only other person that dog would defer to - brushing past his hand for a gentle pet to his head. 

I swear, the sigh I feel myself let out is heavier than a black hole; at least I’m used to the words we share being just as crushing to our patience.

“What do you want, Theo?”

No reply - not at first. If he wanted to get my attention, he’s got it; what on this good green earth could get a loudmouth like him choked up? I push myself a bit past my comfort zone, just out of the curiosity it brings. His face looks... well, there’s one expression I do know. His lip is puckered, his single visible brow furrowed in uncertainty. He sucks in a deep breath - drawing a hand from behind his back, and from it...

A new plate - donning a thick slice of cake. I can smell the sweetness of it from here; white chocolate, and strawberries. He’s even put little white chocolate shavings on top, alongside the fresh strawberries.

“Uh...” I can’t help but be lost for words; what’s he trying to do? Does he think he can just gift his way to forgiveness? If that’s the case, I’d be glad to let him keep on giving - I’m not gonna be swayed by that superficial bullshit. I blink, raise my brows - not out of confusion, but as though to ask; you really thought this would make things better?

“Just... wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” he says at last. “You’re twenty-four now?”

“... yeah.” I don’t make any move to reach for his offering; my fingers, freed from the mug I was so gently holding before, drum against the table top.

I hear him sigh the moment I look away - watch him step a bit closer in my peripheral vision. My eyes stay away from him, utterly fixated on the gentle sway of the liquid in my cup.

“Look,” he huffs. “I know this isn’t the day to bring up shit. I just-... wish this happened less.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” I reply. “But I guess I’m not gonna catch a break from you.”

“I don’t mean that,” he rushes to clarify his own semantics. “I just... I know I can’t take back what I did to you. Same goes for you.” On a worse scale, I admit to myself, but go on. “But I also know that I don’t wanna be your enemy for as long as we’re around each other.”

“And what?” I scoff - finally turning to face him in that one eye that stares me down so intently. “I already know you can’t forgive me. And... I- I’ve made peace with that. And- and you know I can’t forgive you for-”

“Forgiveness isn’t the point,” he cuts me off - for once, I can only hear pain lacing his assertion. “It’s just... we’re not kids, Alex. I just wish we’d stop acting like them.”

Is he trying to insult me now?! Trying to insinuate that, despite everything I’ve been through, I’m still the same kid I was before? Everything we’ve put each other through, everything I’ve been through that he wasn’t there to see–

... everything he’s been through, that I wasn’t there to see.

Oh, God, is this what he means?

“Listen,” he speaks through my pause. “I know I can say sorry as much as I want and it won’t mean shit. We’re past that, I know. But... we both know Souji’s sick of this. Somethin’ tells me, just... sooner or later, both of us are gonna be, too. Shit’s gonna turn into a fuckin’... Motague and Capulet situation, you feel me?”

He always did like his theatre. I wonder if he feels good about himself for drawing comparisons to it, scholar that he is.

“Maybe,” I huff, eyes still staring into that hot chocolate. “But... look. You were right about one thing. This isn’t the day to bring this up. I’m... I’m not in the mood for this. I’m in a good mood... and I wanna keep it that way. So, if you don’t mind...”

There’s probably a million more harsh ways I could tell him to leave me alone on my birthday, to tell him that I don’t have to - don’t want to put up with this from him today of all days. My eyes just end up drifting away again, back to the hot chocolate waiting patiently for me to meet it again.

“Well, uh... I’ve said what I wanted to say.” he concedes. “Uh-... and I made that cake special for ya. The hot chocolate, too.”

... wait, really?

“But, uh... yeah. I guess we’ll... save that for some other time.” He stands up again, taking his steps past the counter - pausing for one last comment. “Happy birthday, Alex. Have a good one.”

Well, that was... weirdly candid of him. I can’t help but feel like he’s just mellowing out because of what day it is; any other day, we’d be wasting no time just pretending the other’s not here, but... he actually approached me this time.

... maybe I am just a child. Maybe I’ve overestimated my own growth. Maybe things aren’t as far-gone as I imagined they’ve always been. Maybe one of these years, I’m due to change.

... come on, Souji. Don’t leave me alone with that stewing in my head too long, will you?

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Drabbles;; #{ this... went in something of a different direction than i anticipated! } #{ but it also touches on an arc for the two of them that i wanna get into } #{ so that was fun! } #{ either way i had a lotta fun writing it! } #{ i do like how alex's anger is like } #{ now less outburst-ish than it was thanks to therapy } #{ but instead she takes on a kind of childish spite } #{ and it REALLY shines through when she interacts with Theo } #Theo;; IC

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “Oh, th- the only thing I know I know about Damian is that he’s scared of dogs.”

“And- and I only know that ‘cause Souji told me about a time where he saw one of his dogs and got scared, and- and then he told me that Theo recorded the whole thing and put it on his TikTok for clout.” Is she hoping he got hate for doing that? Lowkey, maybe a bit.

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Dash commentary;; #{ hi assignments still got me dead } #{ but i needed to join the jubilee here }

[dis--parity]

『🔧』 “Wh-... Sully tops?”

“Snrk-... good one. I needed something to make me laugh today!” She wishes Sully had top energy.

#[ᴘʀᴏɢʀᴀᴍᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ғᴇᴇʟ] IC #Dash commentary;; #{ the fact that i've been up since 4 AM has just hit me and i'm conking out soon } #{ but i just had to join in on the ides of march going on here }